sherman



(No Mdem A. S. SHERMAN. LOCK JOINT CRATE.'

No. 544,695. Patented Aug. 20, 1895.

' @9J/MM PWM I' Urvrrun STATES ASA S. SHERHAN, OF

PATENT Fries. y

cANAsToTA, vNRW YORK, AssrGNoR or ONE-HALF To A. J. WARNER, vor SAME PLACE.

LOCK-JOINT' CRATE.

SPECIFICATION forming pareof' Letters Patent No. 544,695, dated August' 2o, i895. Application filed August 12, 1893. Serial No. 483,030. (Nomodel.)

Z'o all whom it may concern: Be it known that I, ASA S. SHERMAN, a citivzen of the UnitedStates, residing at Canasytota, in the county of Madison-and State .of

New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Crates for Shipping Fruits and Vegetables; and I do Adeclare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable y others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the'same.

My invention relates to improvements'in crates for shipping fruits and vegetables, and it has for its general object to provide a cheap, simple, and light -crate and one embodying such a construction that it is capable of withstanding the rough usage to which. crates and the like are ordinarily subjected.

With the foregoing end in view the invention will be fully understood from the following description and claim, when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in'

which Figure l is a perspective view of my improved crate; and Fig. 2 is a detail top plan view, on an enlarged scale, illustrating the manner of connecting the upper rails and corner-posts of the grate. p

Referring byletter to the said drawings, A

- indicates the upright corner-posts of the crate,

which are solid and of a general triangular form in cross-section throughout their length.

B B indicate the upper end and side rails, and C C indicate the lower end and side rails. These several railsB B C C are provided in their inner sides at their opposite ends with the undercut recesses D to receive the upfright posts A, and they are connected to said posts by suitable fastening devices, as shown.

' E indicates the intermediate end slats, which are permanently connected to the cornerposts A at equidistant points between the upper and lower rails B C and are of a less length than said upper'and lower rails, as shown, and F indicates the intermediate side slats, which are permanently connected by.

suitable fastening devices tothe corner-posts at approximately equidistant points between the upper and lower side rails Bl C.

length, the comparatively thick upper and -lower end and side rails having the undercut l G indicates the bottom'slats of the crate. 5c

These bottom slats are permanently connected by suitable fastening devices to the lower side and end rails C C and the corner-posts A, and they serve in conj uction with the several rails B, B', '0, C', E, and F, and the corner-posts A'to form the crate illustrated in Fig. l.

The triangular corner-posts A,let into the undercut recesses D of the upper and lower -rails and permanently connected to said rails,

.form in cross-section, and therefore are not liable to be torn away from the posts. It willv also be observed that the triangular posts are comparatively small andcheap and easyto formand that they do not take up any material amount of the interior space of the crate; and, further, it will be noticed that the posts vA may be readily placed in engagement with the upper and lower side and end rails of the crate. Again it will be noticed that by reason of the employment of the triangular posts A and the undercut recesses D in the upper and lower side and end rails, all of thesaid rails may be made of -a greater vthickness than the intermediate end and side slats E F, w-hich is desirable; and yet the outersides of said slats, which are-connected to the sides of the posts A, will rest in the same vertical planes as the outer sides of the'upper and lower side and end rails', which is desirable -for obvious reasons. v

Having described' my invention, what I 9o vclaim ish v f The improved crate described comprising the upright corner posts solid and of. triangu lar form in cross-section throughout their recesses'D, in their inner sides at their opposite ends receiving the corners of the corner posts, fastening devices permanently connecting the said rails to the outer sides of the co1'- nei' posts, the intermediate end and side slats permanently connected by fastening devices to the outer sides ot' the corner posts; said slats being of a less thickness than the upper and lower side and end rails so that their` outer sides will rest in the same Vertical planes as the outer: sides of said rails,- and a suitable bottom, all substantially as specified. 1o

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

ASA S. SHERMAN. Witnesses:

A. J. `VWARNER, CHAs. MILES. 

